Terms and Conditions – 2025 Female Founders in Africa Competition

Terms and Conditions – 2025 Female Founders in Africa Competition 

About the 2025 Female Founders in Africa Competition

The 2025 KPMG Female Founders in Africa Competition invites applications from female entrepreneurs across the continent. The competition is aimed at ambitious and high-growth ventures owned and led by women from diverse sectors including technology, health, and agriculture. The competition is designed to empower women entrepreneurs, providing them with the necessary support, resources, and networking opportunities to elevate their businesses.

We encourage female founders with innovative business models and a commitment to driving positive change in their communities to apply.

This competition is being run by KPMG Advisory Services Limited, a Limited Liability Company registered in Kenya. All references to ‘KPMG’, ‘we’, and ‘our’ in these Terms and Conditions refer to KPMG Advisory Services Limited.

Entry Dates

To enter the competition, applicants must complete and submit the application form available at: Application Link before 23:59 on 31 January 2025 and be available to attend the regional competitions between January and April 2025. The finalists from each region should be available to attend the Africa finals at the KPMG Private Enterprise Venture Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.

Successful applicants will be provided with details on the procedures for joining the regional competitions, as well as information about the Africa finals competition. Please be advised that regional and Africa events may be conducted virtually, subject to any applicable circumstances or restrictions at the time.

Who is eligible?

Eligibility for the competition is limited to female-owned businesses in early, growth, and mature stages that have innovative technologies and scalable business models.

To qualify, applicants must:

•  Be registered entities with separate legal personality (including but not limited to companies, limited liability partnerships, and equivalent for-profit corporate structures) in Africa
• Be registered entities in the country or region where the final is being held
• Have has been in active operation for at least one year
• Be tech-enabled, tech-driven or tech-led businesses
• Not be majority-owned by a corporate
• Be able to conduct all pitches in English
• Be available to pitch at a country or regional event for the semi-final and final in the timeline outlined by the country of origin (if applicable). If selected as a finalist, be available to pitch at the Africa final to be held in 2025.
• Be residents of the African countries in which they apply to participate; and
• Be 18 years of age and above.

Countries eligible for participation include;

To participate in the 2025 KPMG Female Founders in Africa Competition, applicants must be available to pitch their entry at a regional competition to be held between January – April 2025, as well as at the KPMG Private Enterprise Venture Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, if selected as a regional winner. Regional and Africa events may be held virtually as determined by KPMG.

KPMG employees, their families, and KPMG contractors are not eligible to enter the competition. The competition is not open to any entity that is a KPMG audit client, an affiliate, or a connected party to a KPMG audit client.

Only one entry is allowed per entity.

There are no charges for entering the competition. Applicants are responsible for ensuring they have the necessary technology and internet access to participate virtually. 

Assessment Process

Applications will be assessed for - (i) inclusivity, (ii) innovation and disruption, (iii) market potential, and (iv) financial success – with equal weighting given to each. The decision of the assessors will be final.

Applicants who are successful will be invited to pitch at the regional competition, judged by a panel of investors from outside of KPMG. Written feedback will be provided to the applicants at the regional competition.

Three finalists from each category- early, growth and mature stage ventures in the regional competition will go on to pitch at the Africa final in Nairobi, where one overall winner will be selected for each category. Finalists will undergo comprehensive screening by KPMG.

Finalist Prizes

Three entries for each category (early, growth, and mature stage ventures) in the regional competition will be selected to go on to pitch at the Africa final in Nairobi, where one overall winner will be selected for each category.

Finalists will receive brand profiling for their business with media during the competition, as well as the opportunity to attend KPMG events with business luminaries and access to KPMG mentorship programs. KPMG will not cater for any travel costs.   

Overall winners will receive the right to identify their business as the 2025 KPMG Private Enterprise Africa Female Founder of the Year in the respective categories.

Funding Guidelines

The competition does not guarantee any form of funding to the winners. If applicants decide to accept an investment opportunity, they should note that KPMG does not provide any warranty or representation regarding the viability of the business opportunities presented or the success of any resulting business arrangements. The competition is not intended to replace any other inquiries or procedures, including the necessary due diligence that winners would typically undergo before entering such arrangements.

KPMG explicitly disclaims any responsibility and will not accept any liability with respect to any agreements entered into following this competition.

Publicity

Winners of the Competition agree that KPMG may use their name and logo as well as name and branding of the entity that they are entering, to announce the winner of the Competition and for any related promotional and marketing purposes.

Intellectual Property

Applicants warrant that any submissions entered as part of the competition shall be their own original work and shall not infringe upon any intellectual property rights of any other person or entity. Applicants grant KPMG a non-exclusive, irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use the content of their submissions and pitch materials and any intellectual property included in the submissions, for the purpose of administering the competition.

KPMG Intellectual Property

Applicants may announce their participation in the competition and refer to KPMG when doing so, subject to KPMG policies including trademark requirements and restrictions upon the execution of a Logo Sharing Agreement. No other use of KPMG's name, logos, trademarks or other intellectual property (whether registered or not) is permitted without the express written permission of KPMG and no licence for the use of KPMG intellectual property is granted by these terms and conditions or by entry into the competition. KPMG may at any time, in its sole discretion, require applicants to remove references to KPMG or the competition in their announcements or other publications.

Travel restrictions

KPMG may be required to change the timings or structure of the competition at short notice. If applicants are unable to attend due to local travel restrictions, vaccination status, or other public health-related reasons, KPMG will make reasonable efforts to facilitate their involvement through virtual means, where possible. All decisions that KPMG takes with regard to the operation and timings of the competition shall be final.

Breach of Terms

KPMG reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to exclude applicants who breach these terms, from participating in the 2025 competition and any future competitions operated by KPMG. By entering the competition, applicants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions. On their own behalf, on behalf of their entity and their directors, partners, advisers, etc as the case may be.

Disclaimers

KPMG reserves the right to void, suspend, cancel, or amend the competition and/or the prize where it deems it necessary to do so.

Insofar as is permitted by law, we will not in any circumstances be responsible or liable to compensate a participant or accept any liability for any loss, damage, personal injury or death occurring as a result of taking up the prize or participating in the competition.

These terms and conditions shall be governed by the laws of the Republic of Kenya, and the parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Kenyan courts. By entering this competition, applicants agree to be bound by the KPMG privacy policy accessible at https://kpmg.com/ke/en/home/misc/privacy.html.

The information contained herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavour to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No one should act on such information without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the particular situation.

© 2024. KPMG Advisory Services Limited, a Kenyan Limited Liability Company and a member firm of the KPMG global organization of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Limited, a private English company limited by guarantee. All rights reserved.